Method for continuously producing dough-lumps for bakeries



May 24, 1966 OOMS 3,252,806

METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING DOUGH-LUMPS FOR BAKERIES Filed May 9,1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVEN TOR.

May 24, 1966 H. ooMs 3,252,806

METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING DOUGH-LUMPS FOR BAKERIES Filed May 9.1961 s SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR. H 051 0 0077 Y May 24, 1966 H. OOMS3,252,806

METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING DOUGH-LUMPS FOR BAKERIES Filed May 9.1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3 252,806 METHQD FUR CONTHNUOUSLY PRODUCINGDOUGH-LUMPS FOR BAKERIES Hugo Ooms, Antwerp, Belgium, assignor toAteliers dc This invention relates to the special problem of automaticproduction, in large quantities and at a very fast rate, of dough-lumpsand suchlike in bakeries.

Certain means have already been suggested in order to attempt solvingthis problem.

Most of the time, the means which have been suggested are based on thecontinuous kneading method of a comparatively large quantity of theingredients of which the dough-lumps are made, whereby the properlykneaded product is discharged in continuous bands and subsequentlydivided into dough-lumps.

The main drawback of this system is due to the fact that it requirescontinuous and permanent weighing and/ or measuring of the ingredients,which implies the use of delicate, costly and bulky installations.

The comparatively large quantity of kneaded substances limits speeds toa considerable extent, and the subsequent division into dough-lumpsconstitutes a further handicap.

On the other hand, it has also been suggested to knead the ingredientsof which the dough-lumps are made, at a high speed and during acomparatively short time. All the same, the means which have beensuggested are either incomplete or such that the production proceeds ata fairly slow rate. a

In a general way in fact, all methods which have been suggested requirethe dough to be kneaded at low temperatures, i.e. below 35 C., and innumerous cases it has been been suggested to include some systems ofcooling.

The method conforming to the present invention is however based on thefact that the whole operating cycle carried out at high temperature,maintained practically constant between 38 and 45 C., beginning with theraw material and going right through to the rolling device of thedough-lumps after the latter have been made. If the exothermic reactionswhich take place during the operating cycle should prove insufficientfor ensuring aforesaid high temperature, this would require, accordingto the present invention, and contrary to the accepted notions, thatadequate heating means be properly applied at those parts where thetemperature might drop while the production of the dough-lumps is acontinuous method, the weighing and measuring of the raw materialstaking place as a discontinuous method. By continuous production,contrary to the traditional notion of a continuous method, is to beunderstood that, in the present invention the dough-lumps while beingproduced one by one, are discharged from the machine at a comparativelyfast rate, so that the time elasping between the production of twoconsecutive dough-lumps is comparatively short, and constant.

Concerning the weighing and measuring, these are discontinuous. The factis, that the reserve of flour on the one hand, and of ferment at hightemperature on the other hand, are weighed and dispensed independentlyof the continuous operation of the machine, provided that the amounts besufiicient for enabling a periodic transfer toward individual kneadingtroughs of the amounts of substances needed for producing dough-lumpsone by one.

Other conditions and features characteristic of the method and of themachine which are objects of the present invention are to be found inthe fact that the amount 3,252,8tlt Patented May 24, 1%66 'ice of waterwhich evaporates during the baking method, as well as the losses byfermentation are reduced to the strictest minimum so that the operatingcycle has an extremely high yield. Moreover, the machines, which are aconstituent part of the present invention, can be built in a verycompact way, are considerably less costly than the machines whichproduce dough-lumps by continuous weighing and manufacturing methods,and that such a machine can be run continuously, being correctly timedby comparately very simple means.

In order to fulfill all these requirements, the method according to thepresent invention is essentially characterized by the fact that itconsists, starting from a reserve of finely divided solid matter whichin the present instance is flour, and a reserve of liquid formed by anaqueous mixture consisting of a suspension in water of the knownsubstances which constitute a high temperature ferment, salt included,is taken continuously from both these reserves, the measured amountswhich, together, make up the mass of a dough-lump, is kneadingindividually each one of these masses at high speed and at a hightemperature, which latter is maintained practically constant between 38and 45 C., and finally in discharging the doughlumps one by one.

The lumps can be discharged either directly into the funnel of a windingdevice, or onto a conveyor belt on which the dough-lump can be leftstanding one or two minutes before being introduced into aforesaidwinding device.

Any kind of flour which is normally being used in bakeries, can be used.

The liquid reserve, consists of a mixture of yeast, sugar, salt andwater in predetermined proportions which depend on the kind of flourwhich is being used, these substances being thoroughly stirred-up whilstbeing maintained at aforesaid high temperature which is kept practicallyconstant between 38 and 45 C., this aqueous medium being pumped toward avolumetric liquid dispenser which latter is synchronized wit-h the flourdispenser, whereby this flour dispenser may be of any known type. By wayof example, for a certain kind of flour, aforesaid high temperatureferment can be made-up of 8.5% of yeast, 5% of sugar, 3.5% of salt and83% of water, these proportions being variable according to the kind offlour which is being used, but the stirring-up and the storage, up toand including the introduction of the ferment into the individualkneading troughs must be maintained at aforesaid temperature of at least38 C.

The individual kneading of the amounts of dough required for eachdough-lump is effected at a high speed of rotation of the mobileelements of the kneading troughs, this speed ranging for instancebetween 200 and 750 revs. per minute, whereby the kneading methodextends over a limited time, for instance between 45 and seconds; themass is also maintained at a practically con stant temperature, rangingbetween 38 and 45 C.

The machine by means of which this manufacturing method can be appliedcomprises, in combination, and preferably under a compact form, at leastone container for the reserve of flour; a container for the reserve offerment at high temperature; a plurality of individual kneading troughsof which the capacity corresponds to the amount of dough needed for adough-lump; the means for conveying each time toward aforesaid kneadingtroughs separate amounts of flour measured corresponding to a doughlump;means for conveying toward aforesaid individual kneading troughsaforesaid ferment at high temperature in separate amounts of which eachcorresponds to the amount required for a dough-lump; means for drivingthe stirring and kneading elements of aforesaid individual kneadingtroughs at a high speed which is generally between 200 and 750 revs. perminute; means for ensuring the discharge of the dough-lumps fromaforesaid individual kneading trough, and treating devices in order tomaintain the constituent material of the dough-lumps, in-

' side the machine, as well as the dough-lumps themselves,

at a minimum temperature of 38 (3., this temperature ranging generallybetween 38 and 45 C.

As a subsidiary, aforesaid machine will be provided with a dough-lumproller or with the combination of a conveyor belt and a roller.

In one preferred form of embodiment, aforesaid machine will consist ofat least one ring of such small individual kneading troughs, wherebythis ring rotates so that, on account of the relative displacementbetween aforesaid ring and the outer jacket in which it rotates,aforesaid kneading troughs are opened in succession, first for fillingthem with ingredients required for the formation of a dough-lump, andthen for discharging a finished dough-lump.

Aforesaid essential elements are supplemented by all accessories orcomplementary devices and elements required for providing a fullyautomatic and highly efiicient machine which applies the method of thepresent invention.

This method as such, as well as the machine designed for a preferredapplication of the latter, will be more clearly understood from thedetailed description given below, without implying any limitations, withreference to the appended drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic and simplified representation of theessential elements of a machine designed for applying the method of thepresent invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of a machine provided with a drum conforming tothe present invention, whereby the parts belonging to the superstructurehave been removed;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal vertical section on a plane along lineIII-III of FIGURE 2, in which the elements of the superstructure havebeen represented diagrammatically;

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the part marked A inFIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a side view in the direction of arrow F5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal vertical section on a plane through line VIVIof FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 7 is one half of a cross-section along line VIIVII of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is one half of a cross-section of the drum and the individualkneading troughs;

FIGURE 9 is similar to FIGURE 8, but with this difference that the ringis represented thereby in a position which it occupies when a kneadingtrough is being loaded whilst another kneading trough is being loadedand another kneading trough is being emptied.

As represented diagrammatically and in the simplest possible way inFIGURE 1, machine for applying the method of the present inventioncomprises at least a certain number of individual kneading troughs 1 ofwhich the mobile elements are driven either by an individual motor, orby one or several joined motors.

In the example which has been diagrammatically illustrated, the case ofone common motor has been represented, this diagrammatic representationcomprising the common shaft 2, the pulley 3, the belt 4, the pulley 5and the motor 6; each individual kneading trough 1 faces or is broughtface to face with a flour dispenser 7 and a high temperature fermentdispenser 8. The flour dispensers 7 are connected with a distributor 9fed by a storage hopper 10 the rate of outflow of which is regulated byan appropriate valve 11.

The high temperature ferment dispensersS are connected with adistributor 12 fed from a storage container 13 by means of a pump 14,whereby the rate of outflow of aforesaid container 13 is regulated by anappropriate valve 15.

Under the individual kneading troughs, a conveyor 16 onto which thedough-lumps P are deposited has been illustrated in a diagrammatic way.Since the rate of flow of' the distributors 9 and 12, as well as theloading and emptying operations of the individual kneading troughs 1must be strictly synchronized, a program selector has been representeddiagrammatically in FIGURE 1 by a block-diagram 17, this programselector containing the various switching devices which control theelectrical equipment of the machine.

It is most essential that the temperature be maintained practicallyconstant from the beginning right to the end of the method, includuingthe actual formation of the dough-lumps; this temperature, which iscomparatively high and at least 38 C., can be maintained eitherthroughout the whole machine, or locally. In the diagrammaticrepresentation of FIGURE 1, the whole machine is mounted in anair-conditioned enclosure B.

In any case, in a machine designed in this way, it will the possible, bydiscrete weighings on the one hand of the flour periodically introducedinto the hopper 10, and on the other hand of the ingredients, includingsalt, of which the high temperature ferment is made, periodicallyintroduced into the container 13 to ensure at a fast rate the periodicfilling of the individual kneading troughs 1 whilst the dough-lumpsprepared therein will be discharged therefrom at the same rate.

Aforesaid kneading-troughs 1 can be grouped, aligned or disposed in anyconvenient way, more especially in order to promote continuousproduction, to reduce the bulk of the machine, to save driving power andto facilitate the loading and the unloading of a plurality of individualkneading troughs by means of the same mechanism or parts.

Such a practical embodiment is represented in FIG- URES 2 to 9.

In this machine, at least one group of individual kneading troughs 1inthe present instance twoare used, the center lines 2 of which areparallel and disposed along a circle which is concentric to the axis ofrotation 18 of the drum 19 in which aforesaid kneading troughs arerecessed. Aforesaid drum 19 is hollow and therefore consists of achamber 20 of annular cross-section and extending over the whole lengthof aforesaid drum. By means of this chamber, it is possible to design aheating system in order to ensure the comparatively high temperaturewhich is required for applying the method conforming to the presentinvention. Aforesaid chamber can be inserted in a circuit in which aheating fluid circulates, so as to form a kind of water-bath; or use canbe made of resistive electric heating elements, as showndiagrammatically by the circles marked 21, such resistances beingconveniently disposed inside the chamber.

All kneading troughs are identical and equally spaced around the axis18. Their shape is quite special and it consists of a cylindrical part22 which is tangent to a plane part 23 which is nearly at right anglesto the periphery of aforesaid drum 19. This straight part forms one ofthe sides of the inlet of the kneading trough, whereas the other side isformed by a small plane part 24 which is parallel to the first. Theshaft 18 of the drum rotates in bearings 25-26 fastened on brackets tothe general framework 27. Onto the said shaft 18, a ring gear 28 iskeyed which engages a pinion 29 driven by a motor 30.

Each individual kneading trough shaft 2 carries a pinion 31 on one ofits ends, whereby the pinion carrying ends are all disposed on the sameside. Between each pair of pinions 31, there is a pinion 32 keyed to theshaft of an electric motor 33, so that two kneading trough or two seriesof aligned kneading troughs can be driven by the same electric motor.

Separate motors could also be used for each kneading trough or group ofaligned kneading troughs, while on the other hand one common drive couldbe provided for all kneading troughs, for instance by engaging allpinions 31 with a common ring gear driven by a single motor.

The drum 19 rotates inside a fixed cylindrical jacket 34 which rests onthe frame 27 of the machine. This jacket is provided with an inletopening 35 extending into a lead-in 36, and with a lower opening 37through which the dough-lumps are discharged. The lead-in 36 throughwhich the constituents of each dough-lump are fed is headed by a hopper38 divided into two compartments 39, 40 by a partition 41. The bottom ofthis hopper is formed by a slider 42 which can be subjected to analternating rectilinear motion, for instance under the action and thecontrol of a pneumatic and hydraulic device which has been shown inFIGURE 4 and marked 43. The lower part 44 of aforesaid hopper can befitted onto or made to face aforesaid lead-in 36.

Into the compartment 40, which is generally the smaller, plunges a tube45 issuing from a feeding and dispensing device which, in the presentinstance, is represented by a mixer 46 and a pump 47 combined with avolumetric liquid dispensing and measuring device.

In the larger compartment 39 plunges the tube 48 of a volumetricdispensing and measuring device 49 which is itself directly connected toa hopper 50 which contains the reserve of flour. Preferably, the machinewill comprise as many reserves and volumetric dispensing devices for theflour as there are separate rings of individual kneading troughs,although there may be an advantage in using one single reserve withvolumetric dispenser 46-47 for feeding the machine, considering that inthis case it will be enough to provide as many feeding tubes 45 orbranches of aforesaid feeding tube 45 as the machine comprises separaterings of individual kneading troughs. v

Concering the discharge of the dough-lumps one by one, use can be made,as represented diagrammatically in FIGURES 2 and 3, of a roller" 51 ofknown design, which has however been adapted for satisfying therequirements of the method conforming to the present invention, and forwhich purpose a heating device, for instance by means of electricalresistances 52 and/or 53 have been dulyprovided and divided along thepath of the dough-lumps. Between aforesaid roller and the discharge end37 of the machine, a funnel 54 has been provided over a pair of rollers55-56.

The machine as described above must evidently be supplemented by therequired electrical circuits and the whole electrical equipmentcomprising various elements known as such, for instance themicro-switches needed for ensuring the continuous and automaticoperation of the machine.

Provision could also be made for combining the rotating drum 19 with atleast one micro-switch for keeping each individual kneading trough at ashort stand-still over the inlet 35, although in most cases such astandstill will not be required. In a similar way, the mechanism whichcontrols the rotation of the rollers 55-56 could be controlled by atleast one micro-switch in order to stop aforesaid rollers for a momenteach time that a kneading trough comes in front of the opening 37through which the dough-lumps are discharged.

This halting device will generally only be required on machines whichrotate at a fairly high speed, in order to provide the necessary timefor assembling the various ments of the program selector are left to thechoice of those conversant with the art, the various apparatus beingselected from those available on the market, according to the peculiarrequirements of the machine.

It will be observed that, despite its comparatively high rate ofproduction and its very satisfactory thermal efficiency, this machinecan be constructed into a very compact form taking up a minimum ofspace.

These advantages confer to the means for the automatic production ofdough-lumps, entirely novel characteristics.

In order to fully appreciate the extent of the progress which has beenmade, one can easily realise how, with such machines, it is possible todesign mobile bakeries, this machine being easily mounted on anappropriate vehicle or truck together with the reserves of water andingredients, so that dough-lumps can be manufactured practicallyanywhere in large numbers and under optimum conditions of quality andhygiene.

As the construction of a baking oven on the spot offers no particulardifficulty, or as on the other hand, an oven fragments of dough-lumpsbefore these are brought onto the roller.

The design of the electrical circuit, as well as the elecan be mountedon a sparate vehicle, it will be easy to fathom the extent of theprogress which has been made, and namely on account of the possibilitywhich this installation affords of being swiftly transferred to anyplace where an emergency or a catastrophy arises, in order to fulfillthe immediate needs of the civilian population or of the troops.

The characteristic features disclosed by the present invention can beapplied to the construction of small machines with a limited number ofindividual kneading troughs, as well as to the construction of verylarge machines of almost unlimited output by increasing the numbers ofindividual kneading troughs comprised in each bank in any adequatemanner, but generally by disposing them so as to form rings or drums,considering that this characteristic addition offers many advantages fora practical and compact design.

The present invention concerns all and sundry machines of this type aswell as any characteristic features contained therein.

What I claim is:

A method for the continuous automatic production at a very fast rate ofdough-lumps for bakeries, comprising combining measured amounts ofingredients which together make up the mass of a single dough-lump of asize to produce a loaf of bread, kneading individually each of thesemasses at a high speed and at a high tem perature maintainedsubstantially constant between 38 C. and 45 C., and finally dischargingthe prepared doughlump masses one by one, the kneading operation of eachof said masses being performed by means of mobile elements rotating at aspeed between 200 and 750 r.p.m. and during a time interval between 45and seconds.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,099,937 1l/1937 Lauterbur 107-4 2,226,084 12/ 1940 Turner 1074 2,920,964 1/ 1960Oakes 99-99 2,931,320 4/1960 Bandel 99--90 X 2,953,460 9/1960 Baker 99903,006,765 10/ 1961 Ferrari 99-99 A. LOUIS MONACELL, Primary Examiner.ABRAHAM H. WINKELSTEIN, Examiner.

